1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer networks and more specifically relates to a distributed computer network suitable for use with a point-of-sale system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a point-of-sale system, a plurality of peripherals, such as cash registers, displays, credit card readers, bar code scanners and the like, need to communicate with a computer server which controls the data processing operations for the system in which these peripherals operate. While computer networks are known for use in point-of-sale systems, these computer networks typically employ standard computer components at each node in the point-of-sale system (see FIG. 1). These systems further include a complex and costly server and hardware which employs a software network communications management system to control communications with each node in the system. Additionally, each node typically requires matching network communications software and hardware which further increases the cost of the system. This network topology, which is conventional to a standard computer data network, results in severe cost and processing overheads which burden a point-of-sale system.
In a conventional personal computer (PC)-based point-of-sale system, the number of standard input/output (I/O) ports available to accept the numerous peripheral components that may be required is clearly limited. Currently, there exist various configurations used to overcome the I/O shortage problems. However, these schemes typically require the addition of dedicated hardware, such as special port concentrator units or PC cards. These hardware additions not only increase the overall system cost but they also burden software developers who must write special application software to address the added non-standard I/O ports without causing data contention problems created by, the duplicate usage of I/O addresses and interrupt request (IRQ) numbers.
An additional problem associated with prior art point-of-sale systems is that, generally, different peripheral devices have different interface requirements. Thus, while one peripheral device may be directly connected to the computer, other devices may require a separate interface box to convert its output data to a format that is compatible with the computer. Furthermore, each input device requires a unique software identification number and interrupt for the computer to communicate with the device. This results in higher hardware costs and more physical space for each peripheral device added to the system.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the fields of point-of-sale systems and others for an alternative computer network tailored to the particular requirements of a network system.
It is, therefore, a goal of the present invention to provide an improved distributed computer network adapted for use with a network system.
It is another goal of the present invention to provide a distributed computer network that allows the connection of multiple peripheral devices with the limited number of input/output ports available.
It is yet another goal of the present invention to provide a distributed computer network that allows the connection of additional peripheral devices without shutting down the computer or reconfiguring the software, thereby reducing system down-time.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a distributed computer network that eliminates, the need for special hardware and/or software-drivers for peripheral devices, thereby allowing more flexibility in component selection.
It is still a further purpose of the present invention to provide a distributed computer network that allows freedom of physical component placement.
It is yet a further purpose of the present invention to provide a distributed computer network that is compatible with several wired and wireless standards and protocols including RS-232, RS-485, USB (Universal Serial Bus), Ethernet, and wireless interfaces, such as Bluetooth and infrared.